* * *
I looked at Klen again.
“…”
“…”
…Not now?
No matter how I looked, there was only a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
The scale weighed between laziness and a legendary sword—and laziness was winning fast.
“Do you have something to say?”
He caught my stare and met my gaze.
“No.”
Just as I turned back to the front—
“Adrian, do you want that sword?”
My head, halfway turned, snapped back quickly.
If I said yes… would he give it his all?
Could he win?
Hope stirred, unbidden.
I didn’t even have time to act—it must’ve shown in my eyes.
Klen’s expression loosened a little, as if watching something amusing.
I could imagine my own face—lit up with expectation, probably sparkling.
But he just kept looking at me in silence.
In moments like this, there’s usually only one thing he’s after: he wants me to say it.
I hesitated, opened and closed my lips several times, then finally managed to speak.
“…If I said I did?”
Since I was at it, I lifted my eyes a little, like a child trying to coax something out.
“Then…”
A small smile tugged at Klen’s lips, his eyes softening.
It was a bright, innocent smile, devoid of any malice.
But it wasn’t natural—it was too perfect.
The realization sent a chill down my spine.
“You’ll have to try your best. The competition is fierce.”
“…”
“…”
The cheerful words hit my ears like a slap.
My hand twitched.
If I hadn’t been holding back, I might’ve grabbed him by the collar and shaken him until he begged.
‘Is he messing with me?’
There was no other explanation.
To raise someone’s hopes just to crush them—that’s a mean-spirited prank, one even kids know better than to pull.
I struggled to control my temper, my lips trembling as I managed to speak.
“You’re not going to help?”
Honestly, it was a miracle I didn’t curse.
But I bit down in frustration, and my words came out slightly distorted.
Klen surely noticed, but he remained utterly unchanged.
He slowly raised both hands, palms facing me.
“As you can see, I have no weapon.”
“…”
‘So I can’t help you.’
The unspoken words echoed loud and clear in my ears. …I wanted to hurl that sword at his smug smiling face.
Instead, I turned my eyes away.
Just as Klen said, the other competitors looked strong.
The moment they saw the prize, their eyes changed.
This wasn’t just a fight for pride anymore—it was a battle for a legendary sword.
And now, I had to enter that fight too.
Can I still maintain my reputation as someone weak?
“Then, I shall explain the rules.”
At the Count’s low voice, the murmuring around us immediately died down, the air turning heavy.
Everyone stood in an orderly line, focused on his lips.
“The hunt will take place around this area. Animals are excluded—don’t catch them for fun or practice. Only monsters are valid targets.”
He pointed toward a small tower beyond the city walls.
“The time limit is until the sun reaches that tower. You can go as far as you like, as long as you return by then. Of course, as you all know, entering the forest is strictly forbidden. You may hunt together—in that case, points will be evenly split. Stronger monsters are worth more points. The person with the highest score wins. We have ways of verifying whether someone hunted alone or in a group, so don’t bother cheating. If caught, you’re disqualified. That is all.”
Bwooo—
The knight beside him blew a long note on a horn, signaling the start of the hunt.
With determined looks, the participants dispersed in all directions.
Unlike their purposeful strides, I looked around uncertainly.
I wasn’t familiar with the area.
Naturally, I had no clue where the monsters were.
The time I secretly went to the forest, it had been safe.
And while gathering herbs, I’d only encountered goblins and orcs.
Even that orc was probably summoned by the goblins.
Which meant, there were no strong monsters nearby.
To win, I’d probably have to venture far out.
“Be careful. That direction has a lot of rocky terrain—it’s dangerous.”
Klen had been following me closely as I wandered aimlessly.
He didn’t seem interested in teaming up in any meaningful way—just trailing behind, tossing out casual warnings.
Watch your step here.
There’s a swamp there.
The grass is thick in that area.
I glanced back at him.
“Why are you following me?”
“Didn’t we agree to do this together?”
“…”
He said he wouldn’t help, yet he seems intent on keeping his word about hunting together.
But why does that together not include the idea of helping?
“There’s no need for that. Please rest in the shade over there.”
This time, I turned my whole body to face him.
I pointed to the shade of a rather large tree, pouring into my gaze the words I couldn’t say out loud.
‘You said you wouldn’t help me. Said you couldn’t help. You’re not even interested in hunting—so why are you following me?’
“What if you collapse again? Shouldn’t I be by your side in case something happens to you?”
“Urgh.”
The word again hit me square in the chest.
I couldn’t suddenly claim to be healthy now and jump into hunting thanks to the healer’s medicine.
It’s unrealistic to recover that fast anyway, and all the things I avoided under the pretense of weakness were now coming back like a boomerang.
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
Off in the distance, many knights were already galloping on horseback.
It seemed they, too, had decided it was better to hunt farther away from this area.
‘I could roam around like that and hunt monsters freely too. I could show off my flashy swordsmanship. I could storm into an orc den and wipe them out.’
‘But I have to hold back.’
I walked in a different direction from them, deep in thought.
Even showing myself swinging a sword would be too much.
How could I aim for victory like this?
“That path is slippery with moss.”
“……”
Klen was still following behind me. And my annoyance at him began to shift.
Yeah. If I can’t fight, couldn’t I just dump it on him?
When you think about it, I’m not the one who needs to win—Klen is.
I already know he’s skilled.
And I know he can’t leave someone in danger.
If I get in trouble, he’ll jump into the fight.
I won’t fall for it multiple times—but just once.
One chance.
If I bet everything on that one moment, winning would be ideal.
Kiiee—!
“…?”
A monster’s cry echoed from far away.
I didn’t rush toward the sound, because someone already stood there with sword in hand.
Besides, the opponent was a worm that eats small animals.
Hardly worth being our prey.
The knight dodged the worm’s massive mouth as it dropped from above, then swung his sword straight into the body.
Thwack—the blade hit cleanly, but it didn’t slice through.
Taking advantage of that, the worm twisted its body and lunged at him again.
“……”
That was enough.
I turned my head away.
It was obvious the knight would win.
And I felt jealous.
So jealous I couldn’t keep looking.
Not long ago, that used to be my normal too.
But now I’m envious of someone simply swinging a sword.
I could almost feel heat rising in my already restless body.
‘Should I just go for it?’
What if I recklessly swing my sword around, then collapse as if exhausted?
Say I pushed myself with sheer willpower, fought to my limit, then collapsed from the release of tension.
Sounds plausible, doesn’t it?
I’m Caldrich’s heir, after all.
Maybe he’d understand.
* * *
